From Durham to Arkansas and back again, via HR - Palatinate

by Joe Adams

While economists and lawyers fight tooth and nail for prestigious London graduate positions and scientists dream of going into research to fight cancer or perhaps become the next ?rock star physicist? Brian Cox, arts and humanities students are left somewhat by the wayside. As many of them, myself included, chose our degrees purely because we enjoy our subjects, rather than for their career prospects, things can be slightly more difficult. Recruiters outside of law, finance, consulting and accountancy often spend less time and money on careers events. In my own subject, History, the most common responses to the question of ?What are you planning to do after your degree?? are ?I don?t know?, ?law? and ?be unemployed.?

However, there are other options available. I spoke to Durham Theology alumnus Stephen Lochhead, who has the rather exciting title of Global Talent Director at Unilever, a $46 billion turnover company who make a large proportion of the stuff you will find on the shelves of a supermarket (including Ben & Jerry?s, and the slightly less glamorous Domestos). He works in Human Resources, which, although it may lack the gravitas of medicine or law in a middle-class dinner party environment, is an important part of nearly every business. ?Human Resources is all about understanding and managing your total workforce against the ebbs and flows of business performance and lifecycle,? says Stephen. If that sounds overly jargon-y, consider it this way: ?it?s about getting the very best out of people and ensuring that the company gives the very best of itself to people.?

Theology students, then, don?t become priests or nuns. Was he tempted? ?I chose not to go down the ordination route, not because I don?t have my personal beliefs, but I wanted to go into the world of business, having spent three summers doing volunteer work primarily in children?s projects in El Salvador, Romania and Bangladesh prior to graduating.? The Bishopric of Durham will soon be vacant, though, and current Bishop Justin Welby used to work in oil. Is Stephen tempted? ?Never say never!?

One of the advantages of working in something like HR is the opportunity to work in multiple industries. ?I?ve worked in professional services (Arthur Andersen), in retail (Walmart) in banking (HBOS), in pharmaceuticals (AstraZeneca) and now FMCG [Fast Moving Consumer Goods] for Unilever.? And Stephen?s only in his mid-30s. While at Walmart, he transferred to a small town in Bible belt Arkansas. As well as the shock of his Durham-tuned accent, the county didn?t sell alcohol, although it was, as he puts it ?riddled with moonshine,? which perhaps accounts for the frequent sightings of Bigfoot. The wide roads and easy nature of the motorbike test (ride in a straight line for 100 yards and don?t forget the kickstand) allowed him to buy what he terms ?a very fast super sports bike,? which unfortunately he hadn?t brought back to rip up the cobbles outside his old college, St John?s.

HR also covers recruitment, so Stephen has a good idea of what companies are looking for. Perhaps surprisingly, most companies care far more about potential, drive and motivation than your choice degree, which will reassure those who haven?t taken Economics or Management. ?From experience of working across different sectors, and in having led either graduate or executive recruitment functions in former roles, I can confirm that very little time is spent thinking about what degree someone has done. How you have performed in your degree, what you do with your time outside of studying, what you put yourself forward for and have a point of view on is much more important.?

?Make every minute count when you are there ? we have a very special University that is totally unique in many respects. I?ll always consider myself a Durham boy at heart.?

But how to demonstrate this potential? After all, potential is, by its very nature, something that you haven?t achieved yet. Stephen highlights ?judgement, drive and influence? as the three key factors that show potential. In a real-world context, this means that in the classic competency-based interviews, the context is irrelevant: it?s what you did, not where you did it, that counts. So resist the temptation to lie on an application form or interview: recruitment have seen it all before. ?Be yourself. Don?t try to become someone that you?re not. Companies will see through this and you won?t be giving the best of yourself.?

And most important of all? Don?t forget to enjoy university while desperately applying for a job. Stephen was thrilled to be back (even sans motorbike): ?Make every minute count when you are there ? we have a very special University that is totally unique in many respects. I?ll always consider myself a Durham boy at heart.?

Related posts:

1. Co-founder of GRB shares some job hunting tips
2. Durham University launches new careers centre
3. Durham academic wins accolade for business success
4. Durham student caught up in job scam

Source: http://www.palatinate.org.uk/?p=31397

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